Vangard

Vanguard Sailboats, founded in 1967 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, by brothers Peter and Olaf Harken—pioneers in sailing hardware who bootstrapped the operation from a modest 60-foot trailer amid cornfields—quickly ascended as a powerhouse in American one-design fiberglass dinghy production, revolutionizing youth and recreational racing with durable, high-performance vessels that emphasized strict class conformity, ease of maintenance, and blistering speed on lakes and bays. Specializing in Olympic-caliber boats like the Laser, Sunfish, 420, and CFJ (Club Flying Junior), alongside innovations such as the pedal-powered Hobie-inspired Mirage and the planning Vanguard 15, the company amassed over 250,000 hulls by the 2000s, powering everything from club regattas to international championships and earning accolades like Sailing World's Boat of the Year for its Vector model in 2001; after the Harkens sold to Stephen Clark in 1986—relocating to Portsmouth, Rhode Island, to focus on Harken Inc.—Vanguard acquired Sunfish Laser Inc. in 1997, amplifying its dominance until economic headwinds prompted its absorption by LaserPerformance in the early 2010s, where its legacy endures through robust fleets, fervent class associations, and timeless designs that continue to launch generations of sailors into competitive waters with unyielding precision and infectious thrill.